To promote shooting sports and to help exercise our "dollar vote," Two lists are being compiled that will be available on the Internet:
(1) A list of places to shoot here in Utah (formal and informal)
(2) A list of stores and their policies regarding licensed, concealed weapons.
(1) Places to Shoot
Ever had a fellow gun enthusiast ask you where they could go shooting, and you just drew a blank? Some of us locals know many remote places we can go plinking, but newcomers to the sport and to Utah may be at a loss. We can help them, and, in doing so, help promote our hobby.
A few years ago, I began compiling a list of formal and informal places to go shooting, including anywhere from true target ranges to remote "berms in the boonies." The project fizzled when I wrote to the NRA to see if they could give me any pointers, or if they had any contributions to the list. Their response was along the lines of "We're already compiling such lists, so yours would just be a waste of time." That really took the wind out of my sails. That supposed NRA list never materialized, and I still get asked "So, anyplace to go shooting around here?"
The current list is several years old and includes only Utah County locations. Should we make this a state-wide effort? Please contribute any information you can about any place you use or know of. If a formal range, please relay the following information: Range Name, address (including city & county), allowed firearms/calibers, ranges to targets, number of stations, cost of admission, whether the range provides rentals or ammunition or targets, phone number. If an informal range, please provide directions or address and general information about the site.
The published list will include disclaimer stating the responsibility lies with the shooter to obtain permission to shoot on private land, that the responsibility lies with the shooter to ensure he is shooting in a legal area. The list will also include encouragements to "pack it in, pack it out" (clean up after yourselves) at informal ranges, and to act responsibly at all times.
(2) Places to Carry
We all know that practicing CCW holders help ensure the safety of the establishments they visit, but CCW holders often feel unwelcome by those "No Guns Allowed!" signs. Concealed carry permit holders can exercise their "dollar vote" by, as much as possible, patronizing only those stores that welcome CCW. But that information is not always easy to come across, as not all establishments have signs posted declaring their policy. Now, some businesses may be downright hostile toward CCW holders, and those are the ones we maybe need most to have listed, just so we don't waste gas by having to go to the store to find out.
For this list, a lot of help is still needed. Please contribute any information you're aware of concerning local stores/chains and their CCW policies, and, like the "Places to Shoot" list, the list will be made available soon to everybody. The plan is to update it monthly. Please include the store's name, location, policy, and whether you obtained this info first hand from a store employee or whether you heard it from a friend. This list will also contain a disclaimer stating the compiled list may contain inaccuracies, and store policies are subject to change at any time without notice. My hope is that merely being on a negative list will encourage some stores to change their policies to be more CCW-friendly.
The Lists
I'll be posting the lists at:
http://www.itsnet.com/~stylus/carry.html
and
http://www.itsnet.com/~stylus/shoot.html
The lists can be cross-posted, copied, distributed, whatever, free of charge, even though I'll own the copyright. I will exercise my copyright ownership only to enforce the _free_ distribution of the information.
Please respond to any of the following e-mail addresses:
msawyer@callware.com
stylus@itsnet.com
kc7urn@ucares.org
with "places to shoot" or "places to carry" as the subject. We can all benefit from this. Let's give it a shot, har har.
